Reasons Why You Should Not Introduce Your Parents to IM

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  1. They will ask you every time you change your display name. -- “What does ‘t-money’ mean?”
  2. They will talk to you every time you sign into your computer. They likely only have you and one or two others on their contact list so a toast saying you just signed in is an invitation to chat.
  3. They don’t understand IM shorthand -- “What does ‘brb’ mean?”
  4. They will treat IM conversations like e-mail -- Ask you a bunch of questions then sign off before you can answer.
  5. They will respond to questions hours after you ask them with one word answers that leaves you asking again and again -- “What did I ask?”
  6. They may not call less even though you talk to them every day.
  7. Potential for emoticon over-use
  8. They will find a way to embarrass you through IM when someone else is using your computer -- True story. Dev lead Jim is debugging something on my machine when mom’s message “Hi snugly bugly” pops up. Help me!

 

ps. jk mom, if you find this… jk means just kidding.

 

pps. and yes, I am aware of the irony of being a parent and writing this.